Integrating Expenditure and Income Data: What To Do With the Statistical Discrepancy?
J. Joseph Beaulieu and Eric J. Bartelsman 2004-39

Abstract:&nbspThe purpose of this paper is to build consistent, integrated datasets to investigate whether
various disaggregated data can shed light on the possible sources of the statistical discrepancy.
Our strategy is first to use disaggregated data to estimate consistent sets of input-output models
that sum to either GDP or GDI and compare the two in order to see where the discrepancy
resides. We find a few "problem" industries that appear to explain most of the statistical
discrepancy. Second, we explore what combination of the expenditure data and the income data
seem to produce the most sensible data according to a few economic criteria. A mixture of data
that do not aggregate either to GDP or to GDI appears optimal.